The Deltas were swift, carrying Knox, Ky, and Gerald back to the house as Cassy and I trailed behind in a daze. My heart was in my throat, panic clawing at me with every step they took. The chaos at the tower had left us all reeling, and the sight of them—hurt and barely conscious—sent me spiraling into despair. Back at the house, the healers immediately took over, bustling around with medical supplies as they attended to each of them. Ky, despite his own pain, noticed my distress. With considerable effort, given his dislocated shoulder, he pulled me down into the bed beside him and wrapped his arms around me. His embrace was tight, desperate almost, as he tried to offer comfort. The pain was etched on his face, a grimace every time he moved, but he held me close, his grip firm and reassuring. Meanwhile, Knox's situation escalated quickly. He regained consciousness with a jolt, his screams piercing the tense silence of the room. The healers, prepared for such a reaction, restrained
As Ky tried to maneuver himself into the bed alongside Knox and me, it became apparent that all three of us wouldn't fit. I glanced over at the omega standing by the doorway. "Go get every blanket and pillow you can find," I instructed.The omegas moved quickly, returning in a flurry with an armful of bedding. I set to work, spreading out a comfortable pillow nest on the floor as best I could. I just didn't have the years of practice doing it, but I managed something that at least would be more comfortable than all of us trying to fit on the bed. Once satisfied, I asked everyone except for Knox and Ky to leave the room so we could have a moment to rest and regroup after the chaos of the day.Ky attempted to help Knox down to the makeshift nest, but their coordination was still way off, resulting in both of them tumbling onto the pillows in a heap. Ky sighed and cussed, "There's no way we will be ready to face that asshole at midnight."I corrected him gently, "He didn't mean midnight
As we were still processing the rapid recoveries and discussing our next moves, Missy walked into the room with Cassy at her side. "There's something you all need to see," Missy announced as she entered.Ky, still adjusting his newly healed shoulder, looked up. "Is Dad healed now?" he asked with a smirk.Cassy laughed. "Told you, Mom," she said, her eyes twinkling like she had insider knowledge or something.Missy shook her head. "Sky, I think you are exceptional. Being here has somehow added to the already extremely fast Monroe accelerated healing trait. But we'll talk about that later. Come on, Gerald is waiting for you three in the office."We all got up and quickly headed to the office, my mind swirling with Missy's words. Knox still displayed faint red marks where he had been severely burned, and Ky was continuously rotating his shoulder, testing its limits. Despite these minor signs of their recent ordeal, it was clear, they were healed. In fact, it was nothing short of miracu
As my agitation peaked, and I was about to rush out to confront whatever awaited in the bayou, the ringing phone halted my momentum. Gerald swiftly put the call on speakerphone. "Go ahead, Theodore," he said, signaling us to listen. "Hello, Gerald, sir. I'd say good day, but I know it is far from it. I've got an update for y'all." The voice was oddly familiar, though it took me a moment to place it.Theodore... How do I know a Theodore? Theodore Bayou? Wait... Teddy Bay! My heart skipped as the recognition dawned.A rush of memories flooded in. Teddy Bay and I went to school together during the brief periods I was allowed to attend. He stopped higher-level werewolves, the few alphas and such we went to school with, from teasing and outright torturing the little skinny rogue in class. On more than one occasion. I knew he was part of the pack down there, but I had no idea he'd risen to become the beta. It was both shocking and oddly comforting. One of the few friends I had in school
We loaded up in Ky's truck. Ky took the wheel, Knox claimed the passenger seat, and I settled between them. I laughed at my jeans and t-shirt next to their much more sophisticated appearances. We were going to the bayou. Those khakis would get messed up pretty quickly. But then again, I guess it only mattered how they looked when we showed up. Most of the time, everyone ended up naked anyway. Behind us, a convoy of vehicles lined up, ready to follow at my direction."So much for doing this stealthy," I remarked, glancing back at the line of cars stretching endlessly.Knox chuckled, draping an arm around my shoulders. "Well, time for subtleties is over."Ky huffed as he reached over and rested his hand on my knee. "It was over a long time ago. I'm just happy Dad is starting to come around.""Yeah," Knox added, "he still probably doesn't believe Fletcher was as involved as he was."I hated that Gerald was holding onto that particular belief so fiercely. "It doesn't matter if he doe
Phin cleared his throat. "Let's go inside, shall we?" He led us into the tent, cluttered with maps and papers on a large table.My name appeared frequently on the documents, and I noticed Teddy giving me a peculiar look from across the table. His was curious or maybe concerned, but I couldn't tell which. The air inside the tent was thick with the scent of damp earth and pine, the bayou's signature perfume. Thankfully, it masked the scent that Ceci was still admitting for some reason. While I tried to focus on the cluttered maps, I couldn't help but be distracted by Teddy and Cassy. "So, you're telling me you actually ride these around?" Cassy pointed to a picture of an airboat."All the time, Cher. Don't tell me you're scared of a little swamp water?" Teddy teased. Cassy tossed her head back, laughing. "No, not the water. Maybe just of the gators that come with it!"After watching Phin and Gerald review the information, it dawned on me. "You were assigned to watch me.""Okay, ye
Everyone streamed back into the tent. "The plan kicks off at 10 p.m. tonight," Ky announced as he sat beside me and draped his arm around my shoulders possessively."I'm going," I blurted out, more to convince myself than them.Knox spun on me. "What? Hell no, Sky. As much as I don't want to leave you here, you going with us is worse. Way worse.""I'm not staying with him out there. It's my dad doing this. I'm the reason Kael's out there... I'm going," I shot back.Tears threatened to spill over, the pregnancy hormones swirling into a storm inside me. My chest tightened, breaths becoming shallow as panic and determination clashed."You can't seriously consider this," Knox started, "It's too risky.""And what if you get caught? What then, Sky? That asshole has made it pretty clear he has no regard for your safety, so what will he do?" Ky added, pacing a short, tight circle before me."This isn't about risk," I countered. "It's about doing what's right. It's my dad, Kyran. I can't just
(CASSY POV)Leila always said I would recognize my mate the instant I saw him, and as it turned out, she was right. Before I even walked up to them, I caught sight of his eyes and that ever-present ballcap. He had a habit of turning it in a different direction every few minutes, each gesture catching my attention more than the last. He was intriguing. Undeniably so.Hearing Sky talk about her almost otherworldly experiences in the bayou had always drawn me in. Her life seemed like a saga from another realm compared to mine, and I absorbed every story, never imagining how these tales might soon intersect with my own life.As the evening wore on, and the plan for the night was set in stone, a stillness settled over the camp. There was a gap of about five hours until everything was supposed to start. It was during this lull that Teddy leaned in close."Hey, can you come with me for a walk through the bayou?" he asked.I hesitated, glancing back at the tent. My brothers and father might